In just a few hours on a Saturday, September 26, 2009, tropical storm Ondoy wrought such havoc on Metro Manila and nearby areas such as Rizal Province and CAMANAVA, claiming lives and damaging huge amounts of property, and causing immeasurable grief and disruption to work and life upon many of our fellow Filipinos.

Hundreds of those affected by the typhoon’s wrath are members of the UE community: students, teachers and personnel (officers, management, and rank and file alike) and even alumni and former UE employees. While we are relieved to note that no lives were lost among our UE compatriots, they have incurred much damage to their respective homes and belongings. Amid their trauma and loss, they also have had grapple with how to rebuild their lives and deal anew with the daily grind.

It is on this note that the University mobilized efforts to provide relief goods to as many of the affected UE students and workers. From September 30 to October 3, 2009, relief goods were promptly purchased or sourced, packed and delivered directly to over a hundred affected UE constituents. Majority of the recipients are Marikina City residents based in Santa Elena, San Roque, Concepcion, Santo Niño, Calumpang and Provident Village, among others. Many others are based in Cainta or San Mateo, Rizal, including those in the UE Village in Barangay San Isidro, along Marcos Highway. Some more reside in the “UE Barangay” in Longos, Malabon City. Others are in places in Pasig City such as Rosario and Maybunga, while a few more are in Malabon City, Valenzuela City and Manila.

Not all of the affected individuals were visited because their respective provided addresses were insufficient or deemed passable only by professional relief workers, such as those of the National Disaster Coordinating Council or the Metro Manila Development Authority. This means that, while we have been able to donate relief goods to some, there are those who still need help. And because the process of rebuilding takes time, those who have already received our help could certainly use some more.

Thus, UE management calls on everyone in UE who can—everyone who was spared from the ravages of Ondoy—to give some more. Donations and volunteers are welcome at the Guidance and Counseling Office (Ground Floor, SFC Building) and the Office of Extension and Community Outreach (Ground Floor, P. O. Domingo Center for Information Technology). All material contributions as well as time and energy shared will be most appreciated not just by the individual beneficiaries but by the entire UE community.